(I have to write this in order to make my troubled mind clear on real occurrences regarding my 3-decade troubled family. In some other way, I do believed that the TRUTH shall set us FREE. I am not ashamed to let the whole world knew about the TRUTH in my family history and everything I've done and the knowledge I've kept in my mind.)
(Ang mga katotohanang nangyayari sa totoong buhay ay hindi dapat na ikinahihiyang malaman ito ng ibang tao. Ang mga totoong kaibigan ay matatanggap ka kung ano ka at kung sino ka at kung ano man ang nakaraan mo. Mga plastic lang naman ang nahihiyang aminin ang totoo dahil sa kanilang mga pagkukunwari. Galit na galit ako sa ganyang tao. Amen.)
Monday, September 6, 2010 the day my mother died in Brooke's Point, Palawan. She was hospitalized under the financial support of DSWD Brooke's Point headed by a certain Mrs. Thelma Pascua. Her last words before she died seems like, I will pound (or beat) one of them! - ("May didikdikin ako sa kanila."). (This info was PMed to me by my eldest shy sister who came to the above-mentioned place lately taking some copies of her hospital records and death certificate. She heard it from the neighbor who gave care and to whom my mother had her very last tête-à-tête.) Accordingly, DSWD Brooke's Point have shouldered her expenses and the payment of a 3-day embalming set up for the reason that any of her immediate family will be able to visit at any of the wakes before the interment at 3:00 PM on Thursday, September 9, 2010.
Retracing a few years, around 2002 - 2004, as far as I can remember while living in Mataasanakahoy, Batangas with my elder sister Mercy we received letters from Brooke's Point, Palawan by my mother's live in partner named Philip Lim. Obviously, it was his handwriting. The message reminds of the family troubled history and a bunch of conscience smiting words. It was told therein that mother Lucena had a stroke and lay bedridden for several days under the care of her husband Philip Lim. The main point is begging for financial support.
On that moment, I was imagining how could a person confidently ask for such help from the persons to whom she have neglected for almost 3 decades without any support nor a penny but instead some damaging words and acts to her own children? How could a mother left her children in almost 30 years just to set her pride on high? This fact will open my mind to reminisce a certain point in the history of our troubled family life.
In the year 1979, I was two (2) months old then when the chaos have started. Sometimes, I think of myself as the cause of it -- the hidden truth in which I wasn't permitted to know. But I was assured since my childhood through different sources that it was the deal of the couple for a third party that leads to our bedlam. Then my mother took away all our belongings that she can brought with her. All of her personal things, of her dress shop items and some of the photography tools. Dress shop, photography and cocoland was their source of income during that time. Luckily, she can't carry the cocolands with her hands and she can't sold it by herself so was the other stuff. She even filed a case against my father and stepmother for adultery and the two was imprisoned at the police station on the old municipal building surrounding the Northern Mindanao Academy and San Isidro Parish Church and San Isidro Academy. It was a family scandal in which I can imagined it like our internal organs being showcased to the people of Tudela, Misamis Occidental. My elder siblings experienced the impact of seeing our father in prison while the location is a common path to which when class dismissed and the batch of students of different year levels were passing by on school days. It was really shameful especially to their classmates.
Upon receiving those letters from the couple of Brooke's Point after a few weeks I have known that Ate Mercy sent them money as financial support, the amount was varied on that several times. I think I was commanded by At Mercy one time to send her response letter attached with a bank check. Until such time that the letters were of the same thought -- bedridden, needs intensive care, no income, not able to do work with pay et cetera blah blah blah... Ate Mercy decided to send Kuya Dodong and Kuya Loloy without the knowledge of the couple to surprise them. When the two reached to the couple's place they were astonished to see the bedridden mother walking like a healthy cow. And they were scolded for their visit. So they were told that she just have recovered recently. The two tried to convinced mother to go with them to stay in Mataasnakahoy with us or go back home in Tudela. The couple declined the offer. So it was really obvious that what they really wanted is a handsome monthly allowance. What a surprise! It was the end of Ate Mercy's almost monthly financial support to them. Though there were times that she sent money for some time not often like before. I knew it because she let me know about her salary, savings and expenses. She even shared and taught me how she managed her finances that I've learned from it.
I'm not saying this fact because I'm very much in favor of my Ate Mercy instead I'm writing this fact because it is spelled T-R-U-T-H for 'truth.' I can confirm this fact with my whole life and blood moreover I am able to make a pact or curse with all entities around both good and evil that liars would die a sudden terrible death at this very moment.
Year 2007 before I left Mataasnakahoy, DSWD Brooke's Point coordinates with DSWD Mataasnakahoy informing me that my mother needs financial support for her medications. And was advised to take her from them. Of course, I can't afford to that request and during this time Ate Mercy's staying in Tudela to attend her kids out of professional work or any income at all. I called her regarding this contact, she just told me to tell the DSWD about our family history so that they can ponder on what to do with her and why we're not enthusiastic to answer mother's call or Philip's.
So I did and also asked Ma'am Rose of DSWD Mataasanakahoy to tell DSWD Brooke's Point that they should contact DSWD Tudela for that matter. The best for her is to come back to Tudela and live with her brothers and sisters in Pan-ay Diot where she have some of her inheritance. But she never did. Not knowing that two of her brothers died early this year. I just couldn't understand why and how such an old pride dictated a person to choose miserable life of poverty and illness when she knew she have her own personal valuable belongings in a place where her family live. And then blamed her situation to us.
